Strings attached: Hawk Music’s legacy in Bethlehem

At Hawk Music, the strings that tie the community together are made of steel.

Before Hawk Music opened its doors, music had already been a major part of the Hawk family’s lives. From jamming as a family band to dreaming up a vision for a music store, the family worked together to share their passion for music.

In 1973, Bill Hawk opened Hawk Music, fulfilling his lifelong dream.

Phil Hawk, Bill Hawk’s son, was 14 when his father opened the store located in the Westgate Mall. He said it was something his father had wanted to accomplish his whole life.

Phil Hawk said a fire in the mall in 1977 nearly put Hawk Music out of business forever, but after six months of hard work, the store got back on track. After its rebuild, he said the store grew as a hub for local musicians, school band students or anyone with musical ambitions.

By 1987, Phil Hawk and his sister took over the store from their father, running it for 50 years.

“We were in Westgate Mall forever,” Phil Hawk said. “There’s so much to talk about in 50 years. There’s a lot of stories to be told.”

But in 2023, the Westgate Mall underwent redevelopment and removed Hawk Music as a tenant, sparking the family’s decision to retire.

The store’s story, however, didn’t end.

Jason Marish, a Lehigh Valley native who bought his first instrument at Hawk Music, used to do repair work on stringed instruments for the Hawks. After the store closed, the family asked Marish if he would be interested in hiring their teachers and picking up their students since he had always been interested in opening a music store of his own.

Marish decided to open a new store location on Linden Street, but kept the name “Hawk Music” to uphold the family’s legacy. By the end of this month, the new location will have been open for two years.

“I’m not in it for money or convenience,” Marish said. “This is something I felt like was the right thing to do. I needed to save the store for the people and the community, and make sure to preserve that little piece of the past and bring it into the future by upgrading it. Hopefully, I’ll get another 50 years out of it.”

Marish said he’s always loved instruments, so opening a music store was a natural next step for him.

Hawk Music conducts instrument rentals, sales and repairs along with music lessons for 13 different instruments. Marish said the store has a lot of customers who are school kids, garnering strong support from the community.

He said the store tries to cater to the Lehigh Valley’s wants and needs, so if a customer comes in and asks for something, they will work hard to attain it for them.

Currently, Hawk Music has 70 students all learning at different levels across an age span of 75 years with the youngest student being 6 and the oldest one being 81.

“A lot of people are finally getting tired of big corporatized stores, and they’re making a comeback to all the ‘mom and pop’ shops,” Marish said. “That’s really helping (us).”

He also said the store has a friendly connection with other music stores in the area, meaning they can share customers if the store is unable to do something.

At the moment, the store has eight teachers. Marish said there are a lot of great musicians in the Lehigh Valley, which helps them have a wide variety of teachers well-versed in different areas including guitar, lap steel, jazz and classical.

Bethlehem native Josh Maskornick has been playing drums his whole life and has taught drums at Hawk Music for about 10 years.

Maskornick said he has really enjoyed watching his students learn and grow as musicians.

“It’s my favorite thing to do in the world,” Maskornick said. “You really get to know your students, and they’re really cool people.”

Lee Daniels, another music teacher,has been working at Hawk Music since 1981 after he earned his master’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.

Daniels, a Bethlehem native, has spent his career as a performer, composer and teacher.

Throughout his over 40 years of teaching experience, Daniels said he’s gone through a myriad of musical eras. Specifically, he recalls teaching teenage boys music throughout the grunge, Nirvana and Metallica eras in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

He said the more he taught, the better he got at it, with every person coming into the store offering a new opportunity to explore.

Daniels said he’s embraced the vocation of teaching, and he felt the need to pass that down after growing up with great teachers in his life.

“I wasn’t quite sure what the long range goal would be, but here I am still teaching there, and needless to say, it worked out pretty well,” Daniels said. “The store has been a refuge for me.”